Locking device for rocking chairs



LOCKING DEVICE FOR ROCKING CHAIRS Filed March 10, 1949 Patented Mar. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING DEVICE FOR ROCKING CHAIRS Application March 10, 1949, Serial No. 80,719

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to certain improvements in rocking chairs. It is directed more particularly to a device for locking the relative parts of a rocking chair in desired positions as to each other.

The principal object of the invention is directed to the provision of an apparatus, for a rocking chair of the conventional type having a base and a seat rockable thereon, which is adapted to lock the seat in various positions and/or to release the same, all as may be desired. This object is accomplished merely by the manipulation of a manually operated member which may be located adjacent the arm or hand of the sitter when he is in the seated position.

The novel features of my invention make it possible to lock the rocking parts of a chair in any desired position within the limits of the rocking movement thereof whereby the user may utilize the chair either for rocking or for reclining in a set position, all as may be desired.

Another unique feature of my invention makes it possible for the user to operate the apparatus while seated in the chair whereby he may readily and easily lock or release the rocking parts without the necessity of leaving the chair.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as this description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in a unique combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a small scale side elevational view, in more or less diagrammatic form showing a rocking chair with the novel features of the invention associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of my invention with certain parts broken away for purposes of clarity, and

Fig. 3 is a plan View along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In the above mentioned drawings annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown but one embodiment of my invention which is deemed preferable but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring now to the different drawings more in detail in which similar characters of reference iii indicate corresponding parts in all the figures and referring more particularly to the preferred form of my invention selected for illustrative purposes I have shown in Fig. 1 a chair frame which includes a base i for resting upon a floor and having opposite side members such as 2 and one or more transverse members t associated therewith.

The chair 3 resting upon the base i is associated therewith in any of the conventional manners for purposes of rocking forwardly and rearwardly thereon and relative thereto and comprises opposite side members such as I2 and one or more transverse members M associated therewith.

A bracket 22 is fixed to the transverse member 4 as by screws 24 Or the like and has a U-shaped intermediate portion 26 extending outwardly from member 4 to provide a space 23 in which a slide rod 30 is loosely receivable all as is shown in Fig. 2. A pin member 32 is receivable through an opening at one end of the member 30 and the opposite free ends of the pin member 32 are receivable in and fixed to opposite sides of the U-shaped portion 26 of the bracket 22 in any well known manner.

It will be observed that the slide rod member 30 is relatively loose as to the member 22 and a freedom of movement is allowed for the member 30 along the pin member 32 to compensate for various twisting movements by the member 30 as will be hereinafter observed.

A bracket 42 is similarly fixed to the transverse member M as by screws 44 or the like and it too has a U-shaped intermediate portion 26 extending outwardly from member Hi to provide a space 48 in which the slide rod member 30 is loosely receivable.

As will be observed by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 a guide member 50 extends through openings in opposite sides of the portion of the member 42 and is supported therein.

An opening 52 extending transversely of and through the member 50 receives the member 30 so that it is in slidable engagement therewith.

An actuating member 60 has one of its extremities threadedly engageable with the guide member 50 and may be secured thereto by means of an internally threaded bore in the member 50 which receives the threaded end 6! of the member 60.

Within the bore 5! of the member 50 a shoe 62 is loosely received and it has one end adapted to abut the end of the rod 60 and to be urged forwardly thereby and it has an opposite end of such configuration and shape as to conform to cl'iaracteristics thereof.

An operating rod member 30 has an extremity which is also receivable in the transverse bore of the coupling iii and a flat side 8| is provided thereon which is adapted to receive the abutting end of a set screw 82 threaded'into the coupling substantially as shown in Fig. 2.

As the operating rod is rotated, the "coupling fixed relative thereto is also rotated as is the -member 60.

A stop member'ilfi is disposed upon the operating rod member at the point along the flat side 8! thereof so as to be turned as the member 88 is turned. The stop member has an outwardly extending end portion or portions adapted to abut the member M so as to limit the forward and/or rearward movement ofv the operating rod member as desired.

A guide plate it has an opening it therethrough and is snugly held-against the side member l2 with the opening 13 in the member l2 in alignment with the opening it in the guide plate 15.

The operating rod memberis loosely receivable.

through the openings 13 and i6 and the opposite extremity of the member 80 has a handle portion -82 angularly disposed relative to the member 90.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential Hence, the present em bodiinents are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications as fall Within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be'embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and "secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. :In a chair having a base and a seat rockably mounted thereon, said base and seat each having transverse members, a first bracketfixed to one of said members and a second bracket fixed to the other of said members, a guide oscillatable in said second bracket having a longitudinal axis and provided with a slide-rod bore disposed at right angles relative to the axis, an elongated slide-rod having an end pivoted to said first bracket and a free end extending therefrom slid- .able in the bore of said guide, said guide provided with a threaded bore intersecting the slidebore thereof and disposed at right angles thereto, a shoe in said threaded bore of saidflguide for frictionally engaging and holding said slide-rod,

and an operating rod having an end threadedly engaging the threaded bore of saidguide and being oscillatable in opposite directions between an operative position wherein said end of said operating rod forces said shoe into frictional holding engagement with said slide-rod and an inoperative position away therefrom wherein said slide-rod is released by said shoe.

2. In a chair having a base and a seat rockably mounted thereon, said base and seat each having transverse members, a first bracket fixed to one of said members and a second bracket fixed to the other of said members, a guide oscillatable in said second bracket having a longitudinal axis and provided witha slide-rod bore disposed at right angles relative to said axis, an elongated slide-rod having an end pivoted to said fir t bracket and a free'end extending therefrom sli able in the bore of said guide, said guide provid with a threaded bore intersecting the slide-b0 e thereof and disposed at right angles thereto, a shoe in said threaded bore of said guide for frictionally engaging and holding said slide-rod, and an operating rod having an end threadedly engaging the threaded bore of said guide and being oscillatable in opposite directions between an operative position wherein said end of said operatseat members each having transverse members,

a first bracket fixed to the transverse member of said base member and a second bracket fixed to the transverse member of said seat member, an

elongated cylindrical imperforate slide-rod having one end pivoted to said first bracket and a free end extending upwardly therefrom, said second bracket provided with a guiding mechanism including a slide rod guide bore in which the free end of said slide-rod is slidable and a threaded guide bore intersecting the slide rod guide bore thereof and disposed at right angles thereto, and an operating rod mechanism having a portion guided and threadedly engaged in the threaded guide bore and having a second portion movable into and out of contact with said slide-rod, said operating rod mechanism being oscillatable in opposite directions between an operative position wherein the second portion frictionally engages and holds said slide-rod and an inoperative position away therefrom wherein said slide-rod is released from the holding engagement.

ADELARD J. BELISLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 541,653 Bobrick June 25, 1895 570,207 Harry Oct. 27, 1895 687,235 Ingells Nov. 26, 1901 900,788 Simmonds Oct. 13, 1908 1,265,576 Reck May 7, 1918 2,456,043 Belisle Dec. 14, 1948 

